Philtrum length and intercommissural distance measurements at mixed dentition period.

Anthropometric measurements of the lip and mouth are of great importance in clinical dysmorphology as well as reconstructive plastic surgery. In this study, the philtrum length (PhL) and intercommissural distance (ICmD) nomograms for Egyptian children in the mixed dentition period were established. A group of 1,338 Egyptian students in primary schools (735 boys and 603 girls) were included in the study. The students were at mixed dentition period and their ages ranged from 7 to 12 years. Anthropometric norms of PhL and ICmD were developed with significant sex difference in certain groups. A ratio between PhL and ICmD was developed. These data will help facilitate both objective and subjective evaluation of the lip and mouth for proper diagnosis of orofacial anomalies and variations as well as for ideal treatment plans.

New dental implant selection criterion based on implant design.

OBJECTIVE: A comparative study between threaded and plain dental implant designs was performed to find out a new criterion for dental implant selection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Several dental implant designs with a systematic increase in diameter and length were positioned in a cylindrical-shaped bone section and analyzed using finite element method. Four loading types were tested on different dental implant designs; tension of 50 N, compression of 100 N, bending of 20 N, and torque of 2 Nm, to derive design curves. RESULTS: Better stress distribution on both spongy and cortical bone was noted with an increase in dental implant diameter and length. With the increase in dental implant side area, a stress reduction in the surrounding bones was observed, where threaded dental implants showed better behavior over the plain ones. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing value of ratio between dental implant side area and its cross-sectional area reduces stresses transferred to cortical and spongy bones. The use of implants with higher ratio of side area to cross-section area, especially with weak jaw bone, is recommended.

A Comparative Clinical Study of the Effect of Denture Cleansing on the Surface Roughness and Hardness of Two Denture Base Materials.

AIM: This study aimed to verify the influence of oral environment and denture cleansers on the surface roughness and hardness of two different denture base materials. METHODS: A total of sixteen identical removable disc specimens (RDS) were processed. Eight RDS were made from heat-cured acrylic resin (AR) and the other eight were fabricated from thermoplastic injection moulded resin (TR). Surface roughness and hardness of DRS were measured using ultrasonic profilometry and Universal testing machine respectively. Then the four RDS (two AR and two of TR) were fixed to each maxillary denture, after three months RDS were retrieved. Surface roughness and hardness of RDS have measured again. RESULTS: The surface roughness measurements revealed no significant difference (p >0.05) for both disc groups at baseline. However, both groups showed a significant increase in the surface roughness after three months with higher mean value for (TR) group. On the other hand, the (AR) group showed higher hardness mean value than (TR) group at baseline with no significant decrease in the hardness values (p >0.05) following three months follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Denture cleansers have an effect on the denture's surface roughness and hardness concurrently with an oral condition which will consequently influence the complete dentures' lifetime and patients' satisfaction.